It’s a no-brainer that content creators want to get paid for their hard work. It takes time and effort to film, edit, and upload videos, so compensation in the form of cash goes a long way. And with regular publicity about celebrity creators like Charli D’amelio pulling in millions of dollars from their TikTok accounts, many creators hope that their content could make them millionaires, too.
While the million-dollar mark is an exception rather than the rule, there are still plenty of ways to earn a good amount of money, whether TikTok is a hobby, a side hustle, or your ticket to a new career.
So, if you’ve got a blossoming following on TikTok and are starting to wonder how you can monetize your newfound visibility, this post is for you. We’ll cover the social media platform’s earning potential, the money-making programs available, and how to make money on TikTok in alternative ways.
How much can you get paid on TikTok?
The answer to “How much does TikTok pay?” is “How long is a piece of string?”. Multiple factors dictate how much a creator can earn, including follower count, engagement levels, and the monetization features they’re using. Obviously, the more followers you have, the more you can get paid.
How much does TikTok pay per view?
Top creators have revealed that TikTok pays between $0.02 and $0.04 per 1,000 views through the Creator Fund program. If you do the math, that’s $20 to $40 for a million views.
While those numbers might seem small, most creators will top up this revenue with additional income streams, such as ad revenue, sponsorships, affiliate posts, and selling their own products.
For example, creator Alex Ojeda charges $20,000 for brands to share a sponsored video with his 8.4 million followers. To hit millions of views and earn money via TikTok itself, creators need to consistently create viral TikTok videos, which takes time, effort, and a lot of experimenting.
How much money can you earn through the creator fund?
TikTok’s Creator Fund launched in 2021 as a way for the platform to compensate creators. TikTok put aside $300 million for the program and assigns eligible creators $0.20–$0.40 for every 1,000 views.
How to join TikTok’s Creator Fund
To join the Creator Fund, you have to meet this eligibility criteria:
- You must be based in the UK, US, Germany, France, Italy, or Spain
- You must be at least 18 years old
- You must have at least 10,000 TikTok followers
- You must have earned at least 100,000 views over the past 30 days
- You must be compliant with TikTok’s terms of service and Community Guidelines
- You must use a TikTok Pro or Creator account
TikTok predicts there are tens of thousands of creators across Europe and the US who fit the bill and claims that over half have already signed up to the program.
The platform wants to “show our appreciation to our brilliant creator community by rewarding them for their incredible TikTok videos and creativity. We want all creators to have the opportunity to earn money doing what they love and turn their passion into a livelihood.”
TikTok applies a number of factors to determine the funds each creator can earn, including “the number of views and the authenticity of those views, and the level of engagement on the content.” It says there’s no limit to how much creators can earn via the Creator Fund. So, if you’re willing to put in the time and effort, you can reap big rewards.
Tiktok’s Creativity Program Beta: How much can creators earn?
TikTok launched its Creativity Program Beta earlier this year in response to the outcry at the Creator Fund’s low payouts. Creators were rightfully upset at getting a couple of dollars in compensation for content that was essentially keeping TikTok in business.
The Creativity Program Beta aims to help creators generate higher revenue potential, but there’s still very little information about what it involves and how much creators get paid. The only information TikTok gives is that the “Creativity Program Beta gives you the potential to earn up to 20 times the amount previously offered by the Creator Fund.”
If we run the numbers, that means creators can earn anywhere between $4 and $8 for every 1,000 views. It’s a definite improvement, but only time will tell if that’s actually the rate creators are locking in.
The same Creator Fund criteria apply for joining the Creativity Program Beta, but there are a few additional requirements around the types of videos that qualify:
“Eligible videos must be high-quality, original content longer than one minute.” Videos must also reach at least 1,000 views, not be a Duet or Stitch video, not be a Photo Mode video, and can’t be an ad, paid promo, or sponsored content.
To see if you’re eligible or register for the Creativity Program Beta, go to your Profile > Menu > Creativity Beta Program.
4 additional ways to monetize your content on TikTok
While the Creator Fund and Creativity Program Beta both offer a way for creators to get paid directly by TikTok for their efforts, you’ll probably need to monetize your account in other ways if you want to earn a decent income.
Here are some effective strategies for how to make money on TikTok.
Go live on TikTok
Livestreams are hot property on TikTok. Not only do they help you connect with your followers, but you can also earn a tidy sum from showing up on TikTok Live. Viewers can gift you Diamonds during your livestream, which can be traded into coins and then real money.
According to TikTok, you can get $1 for every 100 Diamonds you exchange. To qualify for virtual gifts, you need:
- At least 1,000 followers
- Videos that pass safety moderation
- An account that’s been active for at least 30 days
- To be at least 18 years old
- An account with no political ties
To see if you qualify or to register for Live Gifts, go to your Profile > Menu > Creator Center > Video Gifts and toggle “On.”
Sell merch
You can also turn your ideas, thoughts, and videos into sellable merch. Direct viewers to an online store where they can buy t-shirts, mugs, hats, cards, or any number of other products that will interest them.
If you want to keep everything together in one place, you can use TikTok Shop, which lets you share links and sell products directly through the platform.
Plenty of big-name creators create and sell merch to bump up their TikTok revenue. For example, dog influencer Tika the Iggy has a link to merch lines in its Linktree.
The amount you can earn selling merch on TikTok depends on the size of your audience, the products you’re selling, and your marketing strategy. However, selling a couple of t-shirts at $10 a piece will net you more than trying to rack up thousands of video views via the Creator Fund.
Create UGC for brands
Brands will often partner with TikTok influencers who have an audience they want to reach. Stepping in and creating user-generated content (UGC) for brands that align with your industry, values, or interests can be a great way to earn extra revenue. Surveys even show that some 92% of creators earn most of their revenue through brand deals.
TikTok’s Creator Marketplace actually matches brands with influencers and creates a central place to collaborate.
Nutritionist Emily English often partners with healthy food brands like Itsu to promote their products to her many followers.
The amount you can earn via brand partnerships will depend on your follower count, industry, and engagement levels. You can make anything from $50 a video up to hundreds of thousands (if you’re Kim K), with the average rate sitting at $212 per post.
Become an affiliate marketer
Promoting products is a common way for TikTok creators to earn some extra cash. It works like this:
- You connect with a brand that has a product that interests your audience (either via Creator Marketplace or external methods)
- The brand provides you with a unique affiliate code or link
- You promote the product to your audience with the affiliate code or link
- Every time a follower buys using your unique code or link, you get a slice of commission
Affiliate commissions vary from brand to brand and can be anywhere between 5% and 25% of a product price. Obviously, the more products you sell, the more money you make, but it’s worth negotiating a higher commission rate with the brands you work with to generate more money.
Food TikToker Jessica Woo regularly promotes products in her bento box videos. She then links to her Amazon affiliate store in her bio, where followers can purchase their own products (and Jessica gets a cut of the sale).
It’s worth mentioning that Descript has an affiliate program too.
Tips & tricks to get paid on TikTok
Ready to start earning some money from your videos? Here are some ways to improve your chances of earning a decent chunk of change from the platform.
Focus on generating engaging content
Content is at the core of making money on TikTok. You won’t get views or sales if your videos fall flat or are dull and boring. You should always focus on generating engaging content that resonates with your audience (especially if you’re just starting your account).
Try experimenting with short videos that:
- Answer common questions your audience has
- Are funny, humorous, or entertaining
- Jump on a trend in a unique way
- Offer value to your viewers
The more unique and engaging your content, the easier it will be to grow an audience and monetize your account.
Read more: How to go viral on TikTok: What works and what doesn’t
Take advantage of TikTok Creator Marketplace
TikTok’s Creator Marketplace is a great place to connect with brands who will pay you to promote their products.
You can share your core metrics such as average view count, follower count, engagement rates, and average share rate, as well as your audience demographics and niche so that brands can determine whether you’re a good fit. Once your profile is set up, you can start partnering with relevant brands and earning money.
Always be authentic
TikTok users can sniff out an inauthentic account a mile off—especially if every video you post is a thinly veiled attempt at making money. As well as generating high-quality, engaging TikTok content, make sure you partner with brands you truly believe in and take the time to vet any sponsorship deals that come your way.
Show up consistently
The competition is huge on TikTok (there are around 1.1 million creators on the platform), so it takes consistency to build an audience who trusts and engages with you. Figure out what time to post to get the best results, find the best hashtags to use, experiment with different types of content, and create a posting schedule that’s easy to stick to.
Edit your TikTok videos easily with Descript
The quality of your videos is a key factor for making money on TikTok. While you don’t need production-level quality or expensive filmmaking equipment, your videos should still be engaging and clear.
If you want to save a ton of time while bringing your creative visions to life, use Descript, the best TikTok video editor for enhancing and editing your videos. Use proven video templates, add animated text and transitions, and generate AI-powered captions to turn your videos into experiences rather than just “another thing to watch.”
Thousands of TikTok users already rely on Descript to edit TikTok videos. If you’re ready to join them, take a tour of Descript today.
